There is a very intense and serious race taking place in our society.
It is the Great Race to replace human expertise by duplicating it or even making it better via software.
Whether it’s an app on your smartphone or an engineering marvel, the world is fundamentally changing around us.
If your business makes alarm clocks, you should be alarmed by the simple app most people use on their phones.
If you cast molds for models, you should probably invest in a 3D printing device.
If you are a cashier, you should be paying close attention to the self-service registers popping up next to you.
And if you’re an expert marksman, even your honed in skills, which took decades to perfect, can be replaced.
Change is not coming. It is here.
Great rewards await those in the race.
Tough times await those watching the race go by.

DARPA, the advanced research wing of the US Department of Defense, has developed a prototype for a self-guiding bullet. These things can literally redirect themselves mid-flight to ensure they hit their target, even if thrown off course by high winds or a shooter error.

I just received a Groupon email letting me know that I could subscribe to Vogue for $8. If I took advantage of this offer, I would receive in the mail 12 beautiful, full color issues of Vogue for just $8. After Groupon takes their 50%, Vogue gets $4.

A few months back, I visited the web site of a notable advertising industry publication. To subscribe, I would have to pay over $50 a year. I passed. Instead, I just decided to opt in to their email newsletter. About a week ago, I started to receive the physical copy of the publication in the mail for free. I didn’t pay a cent but they decided to start mailing them to me.

The magazine publishers are up against the wall. The above scenarios are two small examples of a desperate industry. If their content is so valuable, why I am I receiving them for free or practically for free? Not only did I get it for free, I am receiving them at their cost.

The answer is simple.

It is more valuable for them to tout a larger subscriber base than to actually care about what their publications are being bought for. It all funnels down to how many subscribers they can tout or claim to their potential advertisers.

This is not a new occurrence. It has been happening for years but true desperation is rearing its ugly head for the first time.

Ladies and gentlemen. PRINT IS DYING.

Don’t advertise in it. Don’t pay for it. Don’t invest in it.

If you are a magazine publisher, place ALL your resources towards digitization. Accept reality. Do you really believe that my 5 year old boy will buy a magazine for entertainment and information when he turns 18?

So… what does Donald Trump really think about China? Is he right? Does he have a point? The next time you shop at a Walmart or any big box store for that matter, think about what the repercussions of our discount consumerism may be. By the way, the Feds just announced that China is now holding over 2 Trillion dollars worth of our debt. That’s “TRILLION” with a T. That number is 5 times more than what had previously been announced.

Well, here is a select list of what is included in the hotly debated Economic Stimulus Package. This particular list is based on what the Republicans and the Democrats cannot agree on.

There is probably a good and valid reason for every one of these programs. I believe the question is about timing and the purpose of this bill. I thought the purpose was to create immediate and sustainable jobs. What do you think of this list?

The one that jumped out at me was the $650 million to save those people still using old analog TVs. I wonder how many new TVs you can buy with that money instead of buying the soon to be outdated digital converters? Hmmmmm… I don’t remember anyone giving me a credit or money when my Beta Tape Player became obsolete.

I also love the 248 million to buy new furniture for the Department of Homeland Security. What are they sitting on now? Wait… Don’t answer that.

As you review this list, keep in mind that every dollar we spend now will be passed on to our children and grandchildren for generations to come. We won’t even let our kids out the door without gloves or a hat. And yet, we seem to be turning a blind-eye to the massive debt we are throwing squarely on their shoulders. Did I mention that our lead creditors will be countries like China?

• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.